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The veil squeezed and compressed around his arm as he moved through. The veil was trying to shut itself, but he kept pushing through slowly, inch by inch.

“You might want to hurry,” Thaddeus said.

“She’s going as fast as she can,” Hugo responded. “Let her do her thing.”

Alice resumed her incantation. Hugo’s elbow passed through the veil. He smiled, knowing he was moments from returning home.

The front door flew open and crashed against the base of the staircase. The sound of heavy metal echoed off the hardwood floor.

“We have company,” Thaddeus said.

“Shit!” Hugo yelled.

“What’s happening?” Alice asked, breaking her incantation.

Hugo’s arm stopped progressing through the veil. “Go faster.”

“I can’t. Besides, you interrupted me,” Alice said before restarting the incantation.

Hugo turned to see who had crashed through the front door. The cloaked figure moved with purpose, storming into the living room. He sheathed his sword. The fiery blade swung high above his cloaked head as he marched toward the group.

Thaddeus let go of Hugo’s shoulder and backed away.

Hugo locked eyes with Alice’s eyes. Her emerald green eyes turned a pale, ghostly white. He shook his head. The smile, once so prominent, faded from his face. The harsh reality set in. Hewasn’t leaving. Not this way. She would have to go the long way round.

“They’re here,” Hugo said as he pulled his arm back through the veil.

Alice resisted, but she followed along. “Who’s there? Who’s coming?”

“Find me. Get me,” he said as the last bit of his arm pulled back through the veil.

The rider swung his sword, slicing the ring in half. The image of Alice evaporated, disappearing back into the ether from which it came. His one hope for escape. The connection to his beloved. All gone. Gone in a flash of a fiery blade.

Hugo fell backward to avoid the blade striking him. In the process, he dropped the ring. The sliced half bounced off the hardwood floor before coming to a stop under the couch. Hugo scrambled backward, scooting on his hands and feet to escape the wrath of the rider. The rider reared the blade back, ready to strike down on the defenseless Hugo Dodds.

“Hold,” Madeline said as she entered the living room.

The rider held the blade above his head.

Thaddeus scrambled to his feet. In the commotion, he had lost his tricorn hat. His gaze swept around the room until he found the hat teetering on the edge of the fireplace behind him. He gathered the leather hat and secured it on his head, covering his head wound. “Your highness,” Thaddeus said with a slight bow. “He was trying to escape. I was about to stop him when?—”

“You gutless coward!” Hugo shouted.

Thaddeus turned to Hugo and in a soft voice said, “It’s called survival.” He pointed to the couch. “The rider interrupted the ritual.”

Madeline focused on the couch. She took a few steps forward. Her eyes focused on where Alice was moments before.

“Tell me what happened,” Madeline said.

“You see, there was an image of a woman—” Thaddeus began.

“Not you,” she interrupted. “I want him.”

Madeline turned to Hugo, pointing her collapsed parasol at him. The black tip aimed directly at Hugo’s face. “I want him to tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know,” Hugo said. “A woman appeared and offered a one-way ticket out of here.”

Madeline moved closer to Hugo, the end of the parasol still directed toward him. “I’m not to be trifled with. I want the truth. Start talking.”